Development of molecular probes for detection and visualization of virions in the environment

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K18207
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Pioneering)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 34:Inorganic/coordination chemistry, analytical chemistry, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Nishizawa Seiichi 東北大学, 理学研究科, 教授 (40281969)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 永富 良一 東北大学, 医工学研究科, 教授 (20208028)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ウイルス粒子 / エンベロープ / RNA / 蛍光プローブ / 検出

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Following the global pandemic of coronavirus infection disease, emerged in 2019 (COVID-19), the importance of virus detection or visualization methods has been widely recognized. In this study, we have developed a highly-curved viral membrane-binding amphipathic helical peptide-based fluorogenic probe for the detection of enveloped virions. The detection limit for human coronavirus 229E virus (HCoV-229E) is actually one-order magnitude higher than that of Western blotting, and the peptide probe is also applicable to the detection of influenza A virus (IAV). Furthermore, the peptide probe enables rapid, simple and reliable infectivity analysis of a variety of enveloped virions. We have also developed RNA-selective fluorogenic dyes (ACS Omega 2022; Analyst 2023; Talanta Open 2024; Bunseki Kagaku 2024) that can target genomic RNA within enveloped virions.

Free Research Field

分析化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で開発した「両親媒性α-helixペプチドプローブ」は、市販膜染色色素とは一線を画すもので、「直径100 nm程度の高曲率性脂質膜」に対して明瞭な結合選択性を示すとともに、市販色素では達成し得ない高感度ウイルス粒子検出(染色)を実現した。また、ウイルス感染力(感染価)評価にも適用可能で、評価に数日を要する従来法と比較して、極めて迅速に感染力を評価できる(mix and read)。新規に開発したRNA染色蛍光色素と併せて、ウイルス感染メカニズム解明のためのシングルウイルストレース研究(蛍光イメージング)や、新規ウイルス感染診断技術の創製など、ウイルス研究における多彩な活用が期待できる。